Socioeconomic Vulnerability to Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Antidepressants and Risk of Liver Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Previous results regarding the association between the antidepressants use and risk of liver cancer are controversial.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess whether antidepressants use increases liver cancer risk.

METHODS

We systematically searched several English and Chinese databases, including the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CNKI, CQVIP database, Wanfang database, and SinoMed, and 3 clinical trial registration platforms through May 2022. Observational studies evaluating liver cancer risk in patients on antidepressants use were included, and the quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled effect estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

We included 11 studies with a total of 132 396 liver cancer cases. The meta-relative risk (RR) for liver cancer associated with antidepressants use was 0.72 (95% CI 0.59-0.86). In subgroup analyses, only selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were negatively correlated with risk of liver cancer (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.51-0.79); both dose subgroups ≤365cDDD (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.85) and >365cDDD (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.40-0.81) were associated with lower liver cancer risk; only in patients with chronic viral hepatitis, the use of antidepressants reduced liver cancer risk (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.54-0.90).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The result of the current meta-analysis shows antidepressants use is not associated with increased risk of liver cancer and appears to be correlated with decreased risk. However, the observed association needs to be verified by more powerful evidence from prospective, methodologically rigorous studies.

Anxiety, depression and coping strategies among chronic medical patients with coronavirus disease-2019: a multicenter follow-up cohort study

BACKGROUND

Studies have shown that COVID-19 patients experience high levels of anxiety, depression, and stress during the pandemic. Patients adopt different coping strategies to reduce their psychological distress.

AIM

To compare the immediate and long-term psychological impact of COVID-19 disease on patients with and without chronic medical illnesses (CMI) and identify coping styles of both groups during the peak of COVID-19 disease in Egypt.

METHODS

This is a cohort follow-up study, that included an online survey consisting of General Health Questionnaire-12, Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Brief-COPE scale. The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist was completed after 6 months. Questionnaires were distributed to adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection during their quarantine in Egypt.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding anxiety and depression during the acute infection. Patients without CMI relied significantly on the use of informational support to cope with COVID-19 disease. Patients with CMI continued to show significant depressive symptoms after 6 months without significant PTSD symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 has similar immediate psychological impact on patients with and without CMI. However, patients with CMI continue to show depression on long-term follow-up.

Investigating the relationship between hepatitis B virus infection and postpartum depression in Chinese women: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Postpartum depression (PPD) is associated with several psychological and obstetric factors. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been linked with a high risk of depression, but little is known about the relationship between maternal HBV infection and PPD. We aimed to investigate the association between HBV infection and PPD.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included 3,808 mothers who gave birth in a hospital in southern China. Self-reported Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to assess PPD. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine whether maternal HBV infection was associated with PPD risk.

Results

Of the 3,808 participants, 11.9% of mothers had PPD at 6 weeks postpartum. Two hundred and seventy-eight (7.3%) and 3,530 (92.7%) were in the HBV and control groups, respectively. Women with HBV infection were more likely to test positive for PPD (14.7 vs.11.7%). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HBV-infected women did not have a significantly higher incidence of PPD (OR = 1.23; 95% CI, 0.82-1.84) than those without HBV infection in the study cohort. Parity and postpartum hemorrhage were found to be associated with PPD. In addition, our study showed that e antigen positivity was not associated with PPD risk (OR = 0.56, 95% CI 0.19-1.63).

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of the relationship between maternal HBV infection and PPD. In a cohort of women without prior history or family history of mental illness, having HBV infection was not significantly associated with self-reporting of PPD compared to not having HBV infection.

Self-Efficacy, Coping Strategies and Quality of Life among Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

This study aimed to examine the relationships of self-efficacy, coping strategies, and quality of life (QoL) among patients with chronic hepatitis B and to explore whether coping strategies play a mediating role. In this cross-sectional study, 193 patients with chronic hepatitis B from two tertiary hospitals were recruited. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire. The results indicated that physical and mental QoL were positively associated with self-efficacy and negatively associated with resignation coping. Moreover, resignation coping partially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and physical and mental QoL. Our findings indicated that healthcare providers can enhance self-efficacy with an emphasis on reducing the use of resignation coping to better improve QoL among patients with chronic hepatitis B.

fNIRS Assessment during Cognitive Tasks in Elderly Patients with Depressive Symptoms

This study aimed to investigate differences in prefrontal cortex activation between older adults with and without depressive symptoms during cognitive tasks using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We examined 204 older participants without psychiatric or neurological disorders who completed the Geriatric Depression Scale, digit span, Verbal Fluency Test, and Stroop test. At the same time, prefrontal cortex activation was recorded using fNIRS. During the Stroop test, significantly reduced hemodynamics were observed in the depressive-symptom group. The mean accΔHbO₂ of all channel averages was 0.14 μM in the control group and -0.75 μM in the depressive-symptom group (p = 0.03). The right hemisphere average was 0.13 μM and -0.96 μM, respectively (p = 0.02), and the left hemisphere average was 0.14 μM and -0.54 μM, respectively (p = 0.12). There was no significant difference in hemodynamic response (mean accΔHbO₂) between the two groups during the digit span backward and VFT. In conclusion, reduced hemodynamics in the frontal cortex of the depressive-symptom group has been observed. The frontal fNIRS signal and the Stroop task may be used to measure depressive symptoms sensitively in the elderly.

Depression among Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B: A Cross-sectional Study in a Tertiary Hospital of Bangladesh

Background

Patients with chronic hepatitis B suffer not only from physical illness. Rather, they often present with the mental health consequences of this chronic disease.

Objective

The major objective was to assess the level of depression among patients having chronic hepatitis B.

Method

The Department of Hepatology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University directed this study which was a comparative cross-sectional study during time duration from September 2021 to September 2022. Incidence and grading of depression between patients with chronic hepatitis B and HBsAg negative healthy volunteers were assessed and compared through this study. The association of different variables with depression among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients was also measured.

Results

Out of 90 patients having chronic hepatitis B, 52 (57.8%) were found to have some degree of depression; whereas among 90 HBsAg-negative healthy controls, 32 (35.6%) were found to have various degrees of depression. The dissimilarity between the two groups was significantly determined (p-value < 0.05). The majority of the depressed population from both groups had mild degrees of depression, however, the variance was not top the notch (p-value > 0.05). But the prevalence of moderate depression and moderately severe depression was statistically significant among CHB patients compared to their counterpart controls. Depression among CHB patients was found to be female-predominant.

Conclusion

The study has shown a higher prevalence of depression among patients with chronic hepatitis B compared to HBsAg-negative healthy controls.

How to cite this article

Rahman M, Noor-E-Alam SM, Rahim MA, et al. Depression among Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B: A Cross-sectional Study in a Tertiary Hospital of Bangladesh. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2023;13(2):79-83.

Chronic disease and depression among the elderly in China: the mediating role of instrumental activities of daily living and the moderating role of area of residence

Chronic diseases are associated with depressive symptoms in older adults. However, the mechanism of this relation is not clear. In this study, we explored the mediating role of instrumental activities of daily living and the moderating role of area of residence in the relationship between chronic diseases and depression. The data was from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study. Results showed that chronic diseases were positively correlated with depression, and negatively associated with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Moreover, IADLs mediated the relationship between chronic diseases and depression. In addition, area of residence (rural/urban) moderated the relation between IADLs and depression, such that this negative relation was stronger for old adults lived in rural area than for urban area. These results have important significance for prevention and intervention of depression in the elderly.

Prevalence and risk factors of depressive symptoms among 140,259 college students during the COVID-19 epidemic normalization in China: A cross-sectional survey

Objective

College students are one of the most vulnerable populations to the COVID-19 pandemic's mental health effects. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, we wanted to see how common depressive symptoms were among college students and what factors contributed to that.

Methods

Between 21 and 27 May 2021, 140,259 college students from three cities in Henan Province, China, were involved. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to determine depressive symptoms (PHQ-9). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for potential depressive symptom factors.

Results

Mild depressive symptoms and above are present in 21.12% of college students. Women had a higher prevalence of mild depressive symptoms than men (61.38 vs. 59.75%), and depressive symptoms were most prevalent among rural students and least prevalent among city students (21.44 vs. 20.29%). Participants with depressive symptoms are also more likely to have a poor-behavioral status. From none-to-severe depressive symptoms, 78.88, 15.78, 2.80, 1.67, and 0.88% had them. Gender, residential location, and behavioral status were found to be associated with depressive symptoms after adjusting for potential confounders.

Conclusion

This cross-sectional study identified the factors that influence the prevalence of depression in college students. It found that the government should pay more attention to mental health issues affecting college students in combating the COVID-19 epidemic normalization.

The Association between Modifiable Lifestyle Behaviors and Depression among Asian Americans with Chronic Hepatitis B by Medication Status

Asian Americans are disproportionately affected by chronic hepatitis B (CHB), with incidence and mortality rates well above those experienced by non-Hispanic white populations. The goal of this study was to examine the association between depression and modifiable lifestyle behaviors among Asian Americans with CHB, with a comparison between those on hepatitis medication and those not on medication. In total, 313 Asian Americans with CHB were recruited through outpatient clinics and community-based organizations to participate in an in-person baseline assessment. We collected data on participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, depression symptoms, and modifiable lifestyle behaviors. Bivariate analyses (two sample t-test and chi-square test of independence) and multivariable logistic regression were conducted. We found a high prevalence of depression among individuals living with CHB (41.81% among those not on antiviral medication and 39.71% among those on medication). Multivariate logistic regression results showed that Chinese ethnicity (vs. Vietnamese) and lack of physical activity were significantly associated with a higher risk of mild/severe depression, regardless of medication status. However, the protective effect of physical activity was strong for those on antiviral medication. Furthermore, being employed was significantly associated with a lower risk for depression among Asian Americans on medication, while younger age and being currently married were significantly associated with lower risk of depression among those not on medication. Our findings highlight the significance of physical activity among Asian Americans with CHB, especially for those on antiviral medication. Future prospective research efforts are needed to better identify the potential behavioral mechanisms of depression and provide insights for the psychopharmacological management in this vulnerable population.

Health-Related Quality of Life and Its Influencing Factors in Patients with Hepatitis B: A Cross-Sectional Assessment in Southeastern China

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important aspect in the management of patients with hepatitis B (HB), which remains a serious health problem in China. There have been relatively few HRQoL studies involving Chinese patients with HB. The aim of this study was to analyze HRQoL in patients diagnosed with HB living in Zhejiang Province, China. A cross-sectional sample of 98 patients with chronic HB (CHB), 56 patients with advanced HB that have developed cirrhosis, and 48 healthy controls (HCs), all from Zhejiang Province, was used in this study. HRQoL was assessed using Short-Form 36 (SF-36) version 2, European quality of life questionnaire-5 dimensions (EQ-5D), and chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ). Intergroup score differences were detected with U tests. Factors with a significant effect on HRQoL were identified with Spearman correlational analyses. Patients with HB (both groups) had lower SF-36 scores than HCs (p < 0.01), with the exception of general health subscores. Patients with HB cirrhosis had the lowest scores in the EQ-5D visual analog scale (VAS) component. Furthermore, patients with HB cirrhosis had lower (p < 0.01) CLDQ scores than patients with CHB. In our HB patient cohort, disease stage and income level were the factors most associated with HRQoL variables; age, education level, and marital status were, each, also significantly associated with some HRQoL variables in patients with HB in our study (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). HRQoL is diminished in patients with HB in southeastern China. Disease stage and income emerged as key determinants of HRQoL scores. Augmenting social and medical supports for patients with HB, especially those with a socioeconomic status and an advanced disease stage, may help to enhance HRQoL.

Psychological distress and self-management behaviours among patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy

AIMS

To assess the prevalence and associated factors of psychological distress among patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy and explore the association between psychological distress and self-management behaviours among this population.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 188 patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy was recruited from March-October 2018 to complete a self-report questionnaire including the Chinese version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 and Chronic Hepatitis B Self-Management Scale. Logistic regression analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were used to determine the factors associated with psychological distress and the association between psychological distress and self-management behaviours respectively.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were 33.0%, 38.3% and 17.6% respectively. Depression was associated with older age, female gender, lower education level and longer treatment duration; anxiety was associated with female gender and longer treatment duration; and stress was associated with age of 31-40 years, female gender and unmarried status. There were significant associations between depression and anxiety symptoms and self-management behaviours.

CONCLUSION

Psychological distress was prevalent among patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy and had a negative impact on self-management. Interventions targeting depression and anxiety symptoms may be beneficial to improve self-management behaviours for this population.

IMPACT

This study explored the factors associated with psychological distress in patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving oral antiviral therapy. The findings showed psychological distress was more common in patients who were with older age, female, less educated, unmarried and receiving longer duration of treatment and psychological distress was significantly associated with self-management behaviours. Nurses and other healthcare providers should provide interventions to reduce the risk of psychological distress and improve self-management behaviours for this population.

The Lived Experience of Chronic Hepatitis B: A Broader View of Its Impacts and Why We Need a Cure

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is one of the most widespread liver diseases in the world. It is currently incurable and can lead to liver cirrhosis and cancer. The considerable impacts on society caused by CHB through patient mortality, morbidity, and economic loss are well-recognised in the field. This is, however, a narrow view of the harms, given that people living with CHB can be asymptomatic for the majority of their life-long infection. Of less-appreciated importance are the psychosocial harms, which can continue throughout an affected person's lifetime. Here we review the broad range of these impacts, which include fear and anxiety; financial loss and instability; stigma and discrimination; and rejection by society. Importantly, these directly affect patient diagnosis, management, and treatment. Further, we highlight the roles that the research community can play in taking these factors into account and mitigating them. In particular, the development of a cure for hepatitis B virus infection would alleviate many of the psychosocial impacts of CHB. We conclude that there should be a greater recognition of the full impacts associated with CHB to bring meaningful, effective, and deliverable results to the global community living with hepatitis B.

A Scientometric Study on Depression among University Students in East Asia: Research and System Insufficiencies?

Given that mental health issues are acute in Asian countries, particularly Japan and Korea, and university students are more vulnerable to depression than the general population, this study aims to examine the landscapes of scientific research regarding depressive disorders among university students and evaluate the effectiveness of international collaboration and funding provision on the scientific impact in Korea, Japan, and China. Based on articles retrieved from the Web of Science database during the period 1992–2018, we found that the number of scientific publications, international collaborations, and allocated funds regarding depressive disorder among university students in China (97 articles, 43 international collaborations, and 52 funds provided, respectively) overwhelmingly surpassed the case of Korea (37 articles, 12 international collaborations, and 15 funds provided, respectively) and Japan (24 articles, 5 international collaborations, and 6 funds provided, respectively). The differences in collaboration patterns (p-value < 0.05) and the proportion of allocated funds (p-value < 0.05) among Korea, Japan, and China were also noted using Fisher’s exact test. Based on the Poisson regression analysis, China’s associations of scientific impact with international collaboration (β = −0.322, p-value < 0.01) and funding provision (β = −0.397, p-value < 0.01) are negative, while associations of the scientific impact and scientific quality with funding provision and international collaboration were statistically insignificant. These findings hint that Korea and Japan lacked scientific output, diversity in research targets, international collaboration, and funding provision, compared to China, but the quality of either China’s internationally collaborated or funded articles was contentious. As a result, policymakers in Korea and Japan are suggested to raise the importance of mental health problems in their future policy planning and resource distribution. Moreover, it would be advisable to establish a rigorous system of evaluation for the quality of internationally collaborated and funded studies in order to increase scientific impact and maintain public trust, especially in China.

Psychosocial Support in Liver Transplantation: A Dyadic Study With Patients and Their Family Caregivers

Background and aims: Liver transplantation provides an opportunity of survival for patients with liver failure; however, this procedure is known to be psychologically and physically fatiguing for patients and their informal caregivers. The aim of this study was to investigate how perceived social support and the distribution of dependency were associated with the psychological wellbeing of patients waiting for liver transplantation and their caregivers, as a dyad.

Methods: The present was a cross-sectional study. Ninety-five participants were recruited at a hospital in Northern Italy, during the psychological evaluation for inclusion in the transplantation list: 51 patients (19 with alcohol-related illness) and 44 family caregivers. Both patients and caregivers filled in a Symptom Checklist and Kelly’s Dependency Grids. Patients also compiled the Medical Outcome Study Social-Support Survey, and caregivers compiled the Family Strain Questionnaire Short-Form.

Results: Caregivers reported important levels of strain and strongly related to a worsening of their own and patients’ symptoms. Patients with alcohol-related pathologies had a narrower social network, which corresponded to an increase in family strain. On the sample as a whole, regression analyses showed that perceived social support and dependency measures did not predict patients’ and caregivers’ symptoms. Nevertheless, cluster analysis identified a group of caregivers who distributed their dependency more and experienced lower levels of depression, anxiety, and strain.

Conclusions: These results suggest the usefulness of a dyadic approach in the research, prevention, and care of liver diseases. A deeper comprehension of the functioning of dyads will help practitioners in the identification of situations at risk.

Changes in Undergraduate Students’ Psychological Well-Being as They Experience University Life

The onset of most lifetime mental disorders occurs during adolescence, and the years in college, as the final stage of adolescence in a broad sense, deserve attention in this respect. The psychological well-being of undergraduate students can influence not only their academic and professional success, but also the development of society as a whole. Although previous studies suggested psychiatric disorders are common in the adult population, there was little consistent information available about undergraduate students’ mental health problems. This research aimed to describe the changes in depression, anxiety, and stress of Chinese full-time undergraduate students as they experienced university life using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). The main conclusions of our study were as follows: (1) on average, students’ severity scores of depression during the four academic years varied between 7.22 and 7.79, while stress scores ranged from 9.53 to 11.68. However, the anxiety scores of college students in the first three years turned out to be 7.40, 7.24 and 7.10, respectively, slightly overtaking the normal threshold of 7. These results indicated that Chinese college students, in general, were mentally healthy with regard to depression and stress, but their average anxiety levels were beyond normal in the first three years. (2) As for the proportions of students with different degrees of severity, approximately 38% to 43% of college students were above the normal level of anxiety, about 35% above the normal level of depression, and around 20% to 30% above the normal level of stress. (3) There were significant differences in the psychological health states of students of different years, especially among the sophomores, juniors, and seniors; the highest score of depression, anxiety, and stress all appeared in the first or second year on average, but some improvements were achieved in the third and last years. The findings suggested that colleges and universities need to pay special attention to psychologically unhealthy students, and with concerted efforts by the government, formulate mental health policies in the prevention, detection, and treatment of students’ psychiatric disorders, rather than just focusing on their average levels of mental health.

Changes in Undergraduate Students' Psychological Well-Being as They Experience University Life

The onset of most lifetime mental disorders occurs during adolescence, and the years in college, as the final stage of adolescence in a broad sense, deserve attention in this respect. The psychological well-being of undergraduate students can influence not only their academic and professional success, but also the development of society as a whole. Although previous studies suggested psychiatric disorders are common in the adult population, there was little consistent information available about undergraduate students' mental health problems. This research aimed to describe the changes in depression, anxiety, and stress of Chinese full-time undergraduate students as they experienced university life using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). The main conclusions of our study were as follows: (1) on average, students' severity scores of depression during the four academic years varied between 7.22 and 7.79, while stress scores ranged from 9.53 to 11.68. However, the anxiety scores of college students in the first three years turned out to be 7.40, 7.24 and 7.10, respectively, slightly overtaking the normal threshold of 7. These results indicated that Chinese college students, in general, were mentally healthy with regard to depression and stress, but their average anxiety levels were beyond normal in the first three years. (2) As for the proportions of students with different degrees of severity, approximately 38% to 43% of college students were above the normal level of anxiety, about 35% above the normal level of depression, and around 20% to 30% above the normal level of stress. (3) There were significant differences in the psychological health states of students of different years, especially among the sophomores, juniors, and seniors; the highest score of depression, anxiety, and stress all appeared in the first or second year on average, but some improvements were achieved in the third and last years. The findings suggested that colleges and universities need to pay special attention to psychologically unhealthy students, and with concerted efforts by the government, formulate mental health policies in the prevention, detection, and treatment of students' psychiatric disorders, rather than just focusing on their average levels of mental health.

Changes in Undergraduate Students’ Psychological Well-Being as They Experience University Life

The onset of most lifetime mental disorders occurs during adolescence, and the years in college, as the final stage of adolescence in a broad sense, deserve attention in this respect. The psychological well-being of undergraduate students can influence not only their academic and professional success, but also the development of society as a whole. Although previous studies suggested psychiatric disorders are common in the adult population, there was little consistent information available about undergraduate students’ mental health problems. This research aimed to describe the changes in depression, anxiety, and stress of Chinese full-time undergraduate students as they experienced university life using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). The main conclusions of our study were as follows: (1) on average, students’ severity scores of depression during the four academic years varied between 7.22 and 7.79, while stress scores ranged from 9.53 to 11.68. However, the anxiety scores of college students in the first three years turned out to be 7.40, 7.24 and 7.10, respectively, slightly overtaking the normal threshold of 7. These results indicated that Chinese college students, in general, were mentally healthy with regard to depression and stress, but their average anxiety levels were beyond normal in the first three years. (2) As for the proportions of students with different degrees of severity, approximately 38% to 43% of college students were above the normal level of anxiety, about 35% above the normal level of depression, and around 20% to 30% above the normal level of stress. (3) There were significant differences in the psychological health states of students of different years, especially among the sophomores, juniors, and seniors; the highest score of depression, anxiety, and stress all appeared in the first or second year on average, but some improvements were achieved in the third and last years. The findings suggested that colleges and universities need to pay special attention to psychologically unhealthy students, and with concerted efforts by the government, formulate mental health policies in the prevention, detection, and treatment of students’ psychiatric disorders, rather than just focusing on their average levels of mental health.

The Current Research Landscape on the Artificial Intelligence Application in the Management of Depressive Disorders: A Bibliometric Analysis

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based techniques have been widely applied in depression research and treatment. Nonetheless, there is currently no systematic review or bibliometric analysis in the medical literature about the applications of AI in depression. We performed a bibliometric analysis of the current research landscape, which objectively evaluates the productivity of global researchers or institutions in this field, along with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and latent dirichlet allocation (LDA). From 2010 onwards, the total number of papers and citations on using AI to manage depressive disorder have risen considerably. In terms of global AI research network, researchers from the United States were the major contributors to this field. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the most well-studied application of AI was the utilization of machine learning to identify clinical characteristics in depression, which accounted for more than 60% of all publications. Latent dirichlet allocation identified specific research themes, which include diagnosis accuracy, structural imaging techniques, gene testing, drug development, pattern recognition, and electroencephalography (EEG)-based diagnosis. Although the rapid development and widespread use of AI provide various benefits for both health providers and patients, interventions to enhance privacy and confidentiality issues are still limited and require further research.